The Fourth Entity
by Klarcas
Summary: The "Rainbow", the "Sea" and the "Clam", the Tri-si-net, maintains the balance of the Earth's life force. Considered to be the strongest entities on Earth, their owners hold the balance of the Earth in their hands. However, what would happen if these were attacked by an even greater foe? These three great forces are protected by one more existence - the "Sand".
1. The Beginning

Chapter 1: The Beginning

"_The rainbow which appears every now and then, only to fade again._

_The sea knows no limits to its vastness,_

_Shellfish live through the ages, inheriting their shapes."_

…

_The sand, on which all lies below all three and forms the foundation._

The sun rose crisp and clear in the morning as it cast a warm, rosy hue across the sky. A frigid breeze blew across the peak of the mountains as the gentle sound of birds chirping resonated in the air. While the base of the mountain was lush and green, the peaks were a pristine white as a thick layer of snow covered them.

Amidst the range of mountains, a lone man darted from one mountain to another with steps that were gentle yet strong. His movements were as light as a feather but as fierce as fire. Stepping against the side of a cliff, the man jumped upwards and did a mid-air flip before landing softly on a snowy peak. Looking up, he gave a sheepish smile as he realised he was the last to reach the rendezvous point.

"You're late, Kawahira," a voice said firmly.

"My apologies, Elder," Kawahira said, scratching his head as he looked around at his leader.

The Elder was an old man with white, flowing hair and a beard that reached his chest. He wore a beige robe beneath a brown leather cloak along with wooden clogs. A long scar stretched across his chest and his arms. His eyes radiated an immense strength and fortitude as they reflected wisdom and experience.

"With this, all the remaining members of our kind are here." The Elder continued with a deep voice, looking at each of the three in the eye. "Sepira, you foresaw this coming, didn't you?"

"Yes," the young lady said, her eyes laden with sorrow.

"As such, just by ourselves, we cannot hope to support the Seven Stones on our own any longer. We must enlist the help of the humans."

"What?" Yami asked. "Why? We can still do this! The Elder and I have insane reserves of power! Besides, the humans are far too weak!"

The Elder turned to look at Yami, whose indignant face showed that he was clearly against this. Yami was a well-built man and looked like a middle-aged human. His black hair was thick and spiky, resembling the mane of a lion. He wore a long, black coat that reached to his knees and his muscles bulged beneath his sleeves. He wore a pair of sunglasses which hid a pair of ferocious eyes.

"Their species has grown, and they will be some that have extraordinary power. If we were to split the stones into smaller fractions, the humans should be able to withstand the immense force of these stones. But yet, we have to find the right hosts. We cannot let such power fall into the wrong hands."

"This power guides the growth and development of life on Earth. Are you certain about this, Elder?" Kawahira asked with a tinge of doubt.

"Yes," The Elder replied. "We will still hold majority of the power, but we will get seven of the strongest humans to light part of the flames of the Seven Stones."

"But these flames have to be continuously lit…will the humans agree?" Sepira asked.

"Then we shall make it that it cannot be removed. It is a small sacrifice as compared to the entire planet." Kawahira said. "Elder, I shall take responsibility for this."

"Very well, Kawahira. You shall seek out these humans, and give them the fragments of the stones. They shall be called…"

Kawahira stood for a moment, looking up at the sky. There had been a heavy storm the night before, and the sun which shone now cast a bow of seven colours across the sky.

"The Arcobaleno," Kawahira finished.

The Elder smiled. "That is indeed a suitable name, for the seven souls who shall flames shall light up the source of life."

As Yami watched this scene unfold, rage was slowly building up inside him. They were the superior species, and they should be ruling over the humans, not coexisting with them. He could not be concerned with the balance of power. He had deliberately cut off his supply of flames to the stones, causing a power imbalance. Each time he did so, a natural calamity occurred somewhere on the Earth, such as an earthquake, a tsunami or even a plague.

"There is much more that I wish to say," The Elder said, "but we shall end our discussion today. The conclusion is that we shall use the humans' power to support the Stones. Let us split the Seven Stones now. Everyone, please pour in your power and I will divide their physical forms."

The other three stepped forward to form a square as the Elder took out the Seven Stones. Each of them had a distinct form that resembled the natural minerals of the Earth, but yet the power that they radiated was on a completely different level. As Sepira, Kawahira and Yami poured their powers into the stones, the amount of flame which was given off was indescribable. It was as if all the flames of the world were condensed in one spot, and to a certain extent, that was the reality. After a significant amount of flame was sent into the stones, the Elder placed his hand over them and took a deep breath. Seven beams of light shot from his hand, each one aimed at one of the seven stones. Suddenly, a bright light burst from all stones, blinding everyone including the Elder momentarily.

"Is it over?" Kawahira asked.

The Seven Stones did not change drastically, but each stone was split into two pieces, with one piece larger than the other. Getting up, Kawahira picked up the seven small pieces and placed them underneath his robe.

"These are the humans' stones, aren't they?" he asked. The Elder nodded. "I shall proceed to convert them to forms more suited for the humans," Kawahira continued.

"Very well, today's meeting has ended. We shall meet again one month from now. In the meantime, continue living amongst the humans, and do not disclose your identities. We shall continue protecting them in secret."

With that, the four visibly relaxed and made their departure. As Kawahira leapt away, Sepira followed behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Can we walk together for a while?" she asked.

"Why, of course," Kawahira replied.

As they ventured out of hearing distance from the others, Sepira suddenly spoke in a worried tone. "Kawahira…" she said, her voice visibly tinged with fear.

"What is it?"

"I saw the Elder's death in my vision yesterday."

Kawahira's eyes widened. "How could that be?" he asked. "The Elder is invincible! The only person that could probably fight against him is someone of our…NO…you don't mean?"

Behind them, the Elder and Yami remained behind. Underneath his shades, Yami glared fiercely at the Elder. The Elder could fully sense Yami's hostility and rage.

"What is with the anger?" The Elder asked.

"We should be ruling the humans. Such kindness…is not needed. It has resulted in the deaths of our kind, and you know it. Why do we bother sustaining their lives? Let them learn to survive on their own!"

"We have been given greater and superior powers. It is our responsibility to use that power wisely." The Elder calmly replied. "I know you have been withholding your power from the stones, just to watch the destruction caused from the instability."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Yami taunted, taking an aggressive stance. "Try to stop me? Oh wait…I just remembered," he smiled, "You can't. Your power has weakened too much over the millennium!"

"Do you wish to see if that is true?"

"Bring it,"

As the two beings clashed, the ground split as their fists met each other. For each strike they made, a section of the mountain would be rendered to dust, and each attack that was blocked resulted in an after effect of whirlwinds. At that point of time, weapons were not yet invented and the two engaged in unarmed combat. However, there was no need for them – their own bodies were more than powerful enough.

"Why do we not go and assist the Elder? This is too much!" Kawahira shouted.

"That is not his will," Sepira replied. "He knew that I would foresee Yami's betrayal, but he did not say anything. That means he wishes to handle it, and it will be our responsibility to maintain the balance of powers."

In silence, Kawahira grit his teeth and watched the battle that raged on fiercely fifteen kilometres away.

After ten days, the explosions and destruction finally stopped. Sepira and Kawahira immediately rushed over, where they found that the once lush greenery and snowy peaks had now transformed into a dry, desert-like canyon of rocks and the raised shapes of the mountains were now a series of large, deformed cliffs and valleys.

"Elder! Are you fine?" Kawahira asked.

The Elder coughed once, before he spoke in a weak voice. "I'm fine…Yami has suffered more damage than me, but he managed to escape…battle was inevitable, for what he sought was the destruction of Earth."

"What do we do now?" Sepira asked. "What will happen to the Seven Stones?"

"Is there any other choice but to split them further? I will conduct the same procedure, to split the stone once more."

At the end of it, the Seven Stones were now split into twenty-one smaller stones, including the first seven. "These twenty-one stones will be carried by humans, to determine and balance the fate of their world…" The Elder said.

"This will be known as the Tri-ni-set," Sepira declared. "The humans now hold the key to their survival. The Arcobaleno and these other fourteen stones are the new form of the Seven Stones."

Kawahira had been silent all this time. Yami was far stronger than they had expected, and it was evident that the Elder's life had taken damage. He would not last for much longer, and it was probably the final discussion they were going to have.

"If the first set is the Arcobaleno, the others should have similar connotations. Let the other two sets of seven…" she said before she paused to think, "be the Mare and Vongola."

"The 'rainbow', 'sea' and 'clam'?" The Elder laughed. "That is a beautiful scene to imagine, Sepira. It will be one the humans will always remember."

"The humans now hold most of the power," Kawahira realised. "They had better protect this power wisely…for if they do not, their very existence is threatened."

"Which is why," the Elder said, smiling despite the pain from his wounds, "I will use my remaining power to forge another seven stones, which hold fragments of my power. I shall also grant this power to the humans, along with the extra power that was removed when the seven stones were split. Yami will return for the fragmented stones, and they have to be protected when that time comes."

"This much power…but Elder, doesn't that mean you'll die?" Kawahira asked.

"I have lived for a long time, and my time draws towards its end. I have made many wrong decisions, and letting Yami become this evil is one of them. My only hope to redeem myself is to cleanse these mistakes that I have made through my death," the Elder panted. Talking was now clearly painful for him.

"You there!" he shouted. "Behind the tree, come out!"

For a moment, nothing happened. After which, a lone human crept out from the bushes with a confused look on his face. Judging from his expression, he had probably seen the whole event unfold itself.

"We've been spotted!" Kawahira shouted as he released a large, intimidating flame that resonated across the entire place as the sheer pressure from the flame blasted the nearby rocks and cliffs.

"Hey, watch it!" The human blurted, raising his hand in front of his face. "I was nearly blown away! What's with you?"

Kawahira was shocked. He was certain that amount of flame would have killed a mere human. However, this man had managed to stand his ground, and was mostly unaffected by it.

"So, I assume you have heard everything. I need an owner for the stones I am about to create. Will you accept this role, and fulfil a dying man's wishes?" The Elder asked.

The human scratched his head and looked at the Elder. "Well…I'm normally too lazy to accept stuff like this, but if the world's at stake, I guess I have to accept…besides, those two looked like they'd kill me if I didn't say yes," he said, tilting his head at Kawahira and Sepira.

"Very well…" the Elder said. "What is your name, human?"

"Daiki Shin," the man said.

The Elder proceeded to forge seven stones, which would be given to the man Daiki. Releasing another huge flame, the Elder converted the immense and vast energy he had into seven tangible forms that took the initial shape of rocks.

"The Arcobaleno, Mare and Vongola," the Elder panted. Even breathing was now painful for him. "We have a rainbow, clam and sea, and I want to add one more element to that scene of the beach. What is a beach without sand?"

The other three looked at him, ready to receive the Elder's dying words.

"This power shall be known as the Sabbia."


	2. The Foreboding Storm

"From now on, it won't be the Vongola 10th," Reborn said with a smile, "But rather, the Neo Vongola Primo that you're aiming for, Tsuna!"

"AHHHHHH!" Tsuna screamed as he shot out of his bed, clutching his blanket tightly. Looking around, he realised that it was merely a dream. Looking at the clock, his eyes widened as he realised what time it was.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed again, jumping of his bed as he fatefully recalled that the regular inspection by the Disciplinary Committee would be conducted today. "I'm going to be late! Why didn't the alarm clock ring?"

Quickly, he slipped into his school uniform as he rushed out of his bedroom. Missing a step, Tsuna proceeded to tumble down the stairs, crashing into the wooden floor headfirst. Rushing to the dining room, he grabbed two slices of bread and his school bag as he ran out of the house. In his state of panic, his arm got entangled with the sling of his bag as he ran down the street of houses leading to Namimori High. Behind him, his mother stared at the unclosed door with her lips pouted.

"He always forgets to close the door," she commented.

As Tsuna reached the junction, he barely stopped in time as a large truck drove past and nearly rammed into him. However, its wheels ran over a murky puddle of water, causing it to splash onto Tsuna's clean uniform. Looking at his drenched shirt, brown patches could also be seen as his expression turned to that of great dismay. Before he could complain, he heard a familiar barking behind him. Turning around, he immediately took to his heels as he realised that the stray dog that roamed the streets was once again chasing after him for unknown reasons. Making a sharp turn at the nearest bend, he ran for his life as the fearsome canine hounded him. When it finally stopped chasing him, Tsuna realised that he was much, much further from his school then he should be.

"Why does stuff like this always happen to me?" Tsuna wailed.

Finally reaching the school thirty minutes late, he was met by one of the seniors from the discipline committee and was subjected to a string of harsh scolding. Fortunately, Hibari was far away, much to Tsuna's relief. At that point, it seemed weird that someone like Tsuna would be groomed to be the leader of one of the most prestigious mafia families, the Vongola. Walking grumpily to class, Tsuna was promptly sent out by his Maths teacher with another reprimanding. Time slowly ticked away as Tsuna stood beside the classroom door (on the outside), his bag placed on the floor and his uniform as unkempt as it could ever be. It felt like ages before the bell rang for the students' break. Walking into class, he was immediately met with jeers from his classmates.

"So, no-good-Tsuna is once again late for school? Were you chased by a dog again?"

"Or was it getting picked on by bullies again?"

Looking away, Tsuna made his way to his seat as he tossed his bag onto his chair. He was a loser, and he knew it as well. However, he could not change anything by himself and it was probably how he would lead the rest of his life. Suddenly, the two people who previously commented were smacked on their head violently. Turning around, they saw a furious Gokudera behind them.

"Don't insult the Tenth," he warned, his eyes fuming with rage.

Immediately, the two of them nodded and fled out of the class. "Everything's okay now, Tenth! I gave them a lesson for insulting you!" he said gleefully.

"You didn't have to go that far…" Tsuna replied, at a loss of words for Gokudera's enthusiasm.

"Yo, Tsuna! You were late again, weren't you?" a friendly voice greeted.

Walking up to both of them, Yamamoto waved his hand as he joined the both of them. A few seats away, Chrome gave Tsuna a slight smile before she gazed out of the window again. The sun had fully risen and lit up the sky in a glorious manner. Clouds drifted lazily across the azure sky, providing intermittent patches of cooling shade from the sun. Birds could be heard chirping as gentle winds rustled the leaves of the trees.

"You really are no-good-Tsuna," a cold but infant-like voice said as the figure landed on the window sill.

"Reborn!" Tsuna cried with shock. "What are you doing here?"

Jumping from the window sill, Reborn landed a kick on Tsuna's cheek with extraordinary power for a baby. "What kind of question is that," he commented. "As a home tutor, I do have the rights to see how you're doing in school. It appears you're doing as horribly as usual."

"I know that already!" Tsuna said with exasperation.

Indeed, there was nothing Tsuna could say to refute the infant. Despite the past chain of events, ranging from Mukuro's jailbreak, the fight for the Vongola Half Rings and even the Arcobaleno representative battle, Tsuna was still exactly the same when it came to his daily life. For a few months now, he had been back to his normal life at the prime of an unsuccessful student. It was almost extraordinary how he could constantly be so unfortunate. As he chatted with his friends, with most of them being the Guardians of the Vongola, Tsuna felt happy that things had changed. It was not long until the bell rang once more, indicating that class had resumed once more.

"Good morning class!" the English Teacher said as she walked in.

"Good morning Miss Sakura," the class droned.

It was not long before class went into full throttle. The teacher started out with a list of grammar rules, before introducing a couple of new phrases which Tsuna could not recognise or understand. The teacher then proceeded on a class activity where students were required to translate sentences from English into Japanese. (Since the manga's originally written in Japanese, the context of this book involves having English classes where students primarily speak Japanese in school)

"Sawada-kun, can you translate this sentence?" the teacher asked, pointing at him.

Tsuna looked at the sentence on the board with a blank expression. He could barely recognise any of the words written. "The…cow ran into the house…and jumped into the swimming pool?" Tsuna mumbled in confusion.

The class burst into laughter as they heard his inaccurate translation as the teacher shook her head. "Sawada…how can you not interpret such a simple sentence? How are you going to be promoted to the next grade like this?" she sighed.

Tsuna felt his face blush as red as a beetroot in front of the class as he hurriedly sat down. The teacher soon called another student, who accurately read the sentence as "The child ran into the house and dove into the swimming pool". Tsuna looked at the English word written on the board. How could he mix up "cow" and "child"? At this moment, an image of Lambo popped up in his head. Tsuna tried to stifle a laugh. Indeed, he was a child and a cow to a certain extent.

Suddenly, the sky outside began to turn dark as storm clouds flashed with streaks of lightning. The sun was slowly getting blotted out as a dark shadow cast itself unto the school. An icy wind blew into the classroom as he heard the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. Before long, a slight drizzle started before large droplets of rain began to pelt down, crashing against the ground as a heavy thunderstorm soon ensued. The beautiful scenery earlier was all gone, and was replaced by this monstrous weather. At his seat, Tsuna could feel sprinkles of rain splashing unto his table. Looking out, an uncomfortable feeling began to fill him. Perhaps it was his Vongola Hyper Intuition, or maybe it was just his sullen mood. He could not help but feel that something really bad was about to happen. In the past few months of peace, he did not feel anything as alarming as this.

"I think it's just my imagination," Tsuna smiled as he turned his attention back to the class.

The rest of the day passed on uneventfully. School happened to dismiss early that day, and Tsuna was fortunate that nothing else had happened and he wasn't scolded by any other teachers. As he made his way home, his eyes remained peeled for the stray dog although Gokudera and Yamamoto were with him. Ryohei and Hibari were third-years, which meant that their classes would end later. As the second-years and third years were in different blocks, Tsuna never got to meet both of them today. At the school gate, Tsuna realised that he had absent-mindedly forgot to bring his umbrella. It was most reassuring to have Gokudera by his side, who immediately offered to share his with Tsuna. On the way back, the trio passed the playground as they heard the happy screams of children there, which was most unusual considering the heavy rain. However, there was only one child there who looked extremely familiar with his white and black skin and overgrown hair.

"Lambo!" Tsuna yelled. "What are you doing here alone? You're only allowed to come here when someone accompanies you! Worse, it's raining now!"

Immediately, Lambo ran and hid behind the slide, unaware that his tail was sticking out. Tsuna walked over and stood in front of him, his arms crossed. "What are you doing here?" he demanded again.

"Lambo-san…wanted to play at the slide," he said, avoiding eye contact with Tsuna.

"Dumb cow, stop giving the Tenth trouble!" Gokudera yelled at Lambo, who haughtily ignored him with a childish look.

"Time to go," Tsuna said, picking up Lambo.

The street now was empty as people sought refuge from the storm in their houses. Large puddles of water formed at the corner of streets and the heavy rain continued to pelt down. Violent winds blew through the streets as pieces of garbage were carried along. In the midst of the heavy rain, Tsuna felt the same uncomfortable feeling come back again, this time much stronger. He grit his teeth. Was something bad going to happen?

"Hey…" Yamamoto said. "Who's that person in front?"

Looking ahead, they could see a man walking towards them without an umbrella. Supporting himself by leaning on the wall of houses, he slowly limped towards them as the three looked at him. He appeared to be severely injured and was barely conscious. As he got closer, his features became discernible. He had cyan, spiky hair and wore a white jacket that was stained black from dirt and crimson red from blood. He was covered with cuts and bruises from head to toe and a trail of blood was left behind him, slowly being washed away by the rain.

"Hey, isn't that Kikyo, the leader of Byakuran's Six Funeral Wreaths?" Tsuna realised.

"What's he doing here?" Gokudera asked. "Hey! Why are you here?"

"Dino-man!" Lambo cried.

"More importantly, what happened?" Yamamoto asked. "You're covered in wounds!"

As he reached them, Kikyo immediately fell to his knees and Tsuna dashed forward to help him. Kikyo was suffering from severe wounds and his stomach was punctured. He clutched Tsuna's arm tightly, and made a great effort to tilt his head upwards.

"Vongola Decimo…" he stuttered with pain. "The Millifiore…was attacked and…utterly destroyed…Byakuran told me to…"

"We'll worry about that later! Those aren't minor wounds, we have to get you treated fast! Where's the nearest hospital?"

"There's no time," Gokudera said calmly. "If we bring him to your house, Tenth, my sister should be able to do some emergency treatment."

"That's a good idea! Yamamoto, give me a hand, will you?"

As they helped Kikyo up, they heard him weakly mumble the rest of his sentence.

"Byakuran told me to warn you, they're coming for the Vongola next."


	3. 24 Hours Back

-24 Hours Before-

"I got some marshmallow candies!" Byakuran shouted with glee as he stepped into the meeting room of the large Millefiore family.

"Again?" Bluebell complained.

"Hey, the last time I got them was before the Arcobaleno representative battle! What do you mean 'again'?"

"I don't like them!"

"Byakuran-sama…is it really okay to just let things be?" Zakuro, the owner of the Storm Mare Ring, asked.

Byakuran looked up for a brief moment, his playful expression turning serious. The meeting room was a well-furnished mansion filled with luxurious furniture. Stone sculptures were placed in the corners of the house and a red carpet embroidered with white orchids covered the floor. A long beige sofa was placed in the centre of the room alongside two chairs of matching colour which was dimly lit by a gold chandelier hung above. Placed on the rectangular table was an array of exquisite Italian cuisine. Gathered around the dishes were the Six Funeral Wreaths (with the exception of Ghost), the Guardians of the Millefiore family.

"What do you mean, Zakuro?"

"I'm referring to the Vongola. They defeated the future us, shouldn't we do something to get back at them?"

"Nope," Byakuran simply replied.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to,"

Zakuro seemed a little shocked at first, but simply kept quiet and respected the decision of his leader. He knew that it probably had something to do with Yuni. As they too respected the time of peace, the Millefiore steadily grew their forces as they withheld their aggression temporarily. At this point, there were still climbing up in influence and power as compared to ten years into the future. Although not in the least weak, they did not possess a fraction of their power in the future.

Silently, a group of three men surveyed the mansion from a nearby hill. They were the first of the assault force to reach the location. As their cloaks drifted lightly in the wind, their eyes locked onto the seven people in the top floor. All of them were wearing black uniforms with streaks of purple along the sides.

"They're the Guardians of the Mare Rings?" one of the men asked. He had a lock of red hair drooping over his left eye and a thin face. He was a tall man and He glanced at his partners as he let out a scoff. "I could've handled them alone; you two didn't have to come."

"It's the Boss' orders, and you're overestimating yourself if you think that the Millefiore can be defeated so easily. They are rather strong, and to be honest I don't want to fight alongside you," the man on his right replied. He wore a musketeer hat with a feather on its side along with a beige vest.

"Silence," the man in the middle said. His brown hair was smoothly combed behind him and his uniform was buttoned to the top. He had an intimidating glare and his beard was shaved cleanly. "Bartolommeo and Attilio, take out the Six Funeral Wreaths. I will handle Byakuran. The regular troops will take care of the Millefiore soldiers."

"Got it," Bartolommeo said. "Attilio, you take care of the weaklings. I'm going to fight the stronger ones," he told his comrade.

"Ah, whatever…" Attilio shrugged, tipping his hat up.

At this point, the Mare Ring Guardians were busy feasting on the dishes prepared for them. Most of them never let their guard down, but the three people had expertly concealed their flames perfectly. While slurping up his spaghetti, Byakuran looked out of the window as his eyes narrowed. For a moment, he had felt a slight trace of an extremely powerful flame. His troops of the Black and White Spell were always guarding the place, and he was certain that enemies could not get past them easily, unless they were extremely powerful.

Suddenly, a string of explosions were heard at the front lines of the Millefiore, followed by the sounds of gunfire. The seven of them immediately turned in that direction. Judging from the number of explosions and enemies, it was not a small scale assault. It was an invasion and the enemy wanted to eliminate them. Immediately, their rings began to glow as they prepared to head towards the front lines. Using his boots, Kikyo immediately flew towards the scene, only to halt when he felt three overwhelming flames approach him. Looking up, Kikyo saw three men casually strolling down the nearby hill, walking towards them slowly. They did not seem to be in the least concerned about the fighting further down. Behind him, the other five had also stopped and were on their guard. From their experience, they knew that those three were powerful – far more powerful than any other they had encountered. As the man in the middle stopped walking, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Greetings, Millefiore. I am Callisto, and I am here to take you down. It would be ideal if you would surrender without fighting, rather than putting up a futile struggle. The rest of your forces will fall eventually from the attacks from the allied families."

"Allied families?" Kikyo asked.

"You see…we needed some help to get rid of the worthless trash, so we went around Italy killing off the bosses of Families and using their men," Bartolommeo laughed. "Although I can already wipe out your whole fighting force alone."

Byakuran soon spread his wings and flew out of the mansion with a cheery smile on his face. "There's two things you're mistaken about, Callisto," he laughed. "One, you're underestimating our troops," he continued. "Two, you're underestimating us," Byakuran said, his expression turning serious.

"White Finger," he said, releasing a powerful shockwave from his finger towards them.

Raising his hand, Callisto blocked the attack head-on, brushing it aside as if it was nothing. Byakuran simply smiled, igniting the flame on his Mare Ring. "Not bad, Callisto! Looks like I can't hold back at all," Byakuran said as he opened his Box Weapon.

"White Dragon," he said.

As the White Dragon soared forward, it struck Callisto again, creating a large explosion at the point of impact. For a few seconds, the battlefield was shrouded with dust as no one appeared. After a few long moments, the three men stepped out unscathed.

"Guys, get ready," Byakuran warned. "They're strong alright."

Immediately, the Five of them knew that they had to fight at full power. For Byakuran to acknowledge a person's strength would mean that they were extremely powerful. Igniting their rings, the Funeral Wreaths prepared themselves for combat. Daisy and Torikabuto activated their Boxes of Carnage, unleashing their forms immediately. As Torikabuto's moth-like wings grew out from his back, Daisy charged at the three men in his lizard-like form. Given his regenerative abilities, it was ideal that he was the first to attack. Attilio knew that something was happening, and judging by the kinds of flames emitted, he quickly inferred that there was an illusionary attack.

"Close your eyes," Attilio said, "That moth-insect probably has some technique that control the senses. Give me a moment to take care of them,"

Reaching to his waist, Attilio pulled out a brown musket decorated with silver ornaments. It had two barrels and was similar to the olden designs of guns. With his eyes closed, Attilio brandished his gun forward and pulled the trigger at Daisy, blasting a large hole in his chest. It was evident that Attilio' bullets were not the normal kinds and were charged with his flames. However, Daisy's Sun flames immediately caused the wound to regenerate, closing the hole in an instant. With Attilio within his reach, Daisy clenched his fist and swung it at him.

"You only saw the first bullet, didn't you?" Attilio smiled, opening his eyes.

Suddenly, innumerable bullets rained down above them, each carrying the same destructive power as the first bullet. Daisy's body was shot in countless places, sending parts of his body flying in all directions as each bullet caused massive damage. When those limbs were blown off, they were in turn pierced by even more bullets, destroying them before they could even regenerate. Before long, what was left of Daisy's torso tumbled onto the ground as his Sun Flame began to wane. Looking behind him, he was utterly shocked to see that his allies were hit as well. Torikabuto was in the worst shape, with his wings torn and tattered by the onslaught of bullets and his mask cracked along the middle. Bullet holes filled his entire body as he fell towards the ground below. The other three had sustained injuries, bleeding profusely from their wounds but still able to fight.

"Mille Proiettile Pioggia (thousand bullet rain)," Attilio smiled.

With the illusion gone, the other two were able to fight as per normal. Bartolommeo cracked his neck as he stepped forward. "My turn," he snarled.

Charging forward, Bartolommeo took out a large mace with sharp spikes jutting out of the large weight at the top. As his weapon began to glow red, Storm Flames began to burn fiercely as he raised his weapon. "Storm against Storm," Zakuro growled, unleashing the Storm Box of Carnage as he became a hybrid of a T-Rex and a human. "Magma Infiammato!" he shouted, releasing a jet of Storm Flames similar to magma.

"RAAAGGGGHHHH!" Bartolommeo yelled, smashing aside the attack effortlessly.

With his next step, Bartolommeo caused flames to burst out from feet, accelerating his speed as he closed the distance between him and Zakuro in an instant. "Tempesta Distruggere (storm smash)!" he shouted, channelling a colossal amount of flames into the head of his mace and swinging it straight at Zakuro.

When the attack connected, Zakuro was sent flying back with immense force despite defending against it. Crashing through an entire row of trees, Zakuro finally broke his momentum, but he had suffered fatal injuries. Both of his arms were fractured and the scales on his chest were shattered. As blood flowed from his wounds, his breathing became heavier as he looked at the lone figure half a kilometre away. He appeared to have executed that powerful stroke effortlessly. The characteristic of the Storm Flame, degeneration, had already caused his wound to deteriorate at an extremely fast pace. When watching Attilio fight, it felt like he was holding back. It was not a good feeling to have, but seeing Bartolommeo's full strength was much more terrifying. Even for someone as powerful as Zakuro, for him to witness such strength above his was a first.

Enraged, Bluebell opened her Rain Box of Carnage as she created a sphere of Rain Flames around Bartolommeo and herself. Curious to see the effect of Bluebell's power, Bartolommeo smiled as he deliberately stayed within the sphere. Soon, he felt his movements began to slow, seemingly becoming more tranquil as his movements dulled. It was not long before he was unable to move.

"You just stepped inside the Barriera Medusa, you won't be able to move now; everything is made up of a 100% Rain Flames," Bluebell taunted.

"Just flames, eh?" Bartolommeo commented. "So, I can just overpower it, then."

Following that, Bartolommeo increased his flames output exponentially, causing his to give off a dark, crimson aura. Little by little, he became able to move as his Storm Flames began to degenerate the Rain Flames surrounding him. As an evil grin crept over his face, his movements were fully restored as his flames pushed back more than half of the sphere. In a state of panic, Bluebell quickly moved backwards, using the Barriera Medusa to shield herself from the oncoming attack. However, Bartolommeo lowered his mace as he put his hand on the barrier. With a sharp, quick push, he shattered the barrier with brute force, leaving Bluebell open to his finishing attack. Just as Bartolommeo was about to execute his strike, he reflexively dodged two attacks from the ground behind him. Glancing behind him, he swiped his mace behind him, decapitating two Spinosaurus behind him. Looking back in front, he saw Kikyo with his Cloud Box of Carnage unleashed. However, an attack grazed his back and Bartolommeo was slightly taken aback to see four Spinosaurus. Realising that it was the characteristics of Cloud Flames that resulted in rapidly reproducing creatures, Bartolommeo moved forward to escape their reach as he reassessed the situation.

"If you attack, it replicates…if you don't attack, it attacks you," Bartolommeo concluded. "A cunning trick," he snarled.

"I can't let you kill anyone else," Kikyo said firmly. They had lost three people in an instant.

"Too bad then," Bartolommeo laughed. "You're all dead the moment you tried to fight me. If they replicate and attack, I'll just destroy everything," he said, raising his mace into the air. "Tempesta Terremoto (storm earthquake)!" he declared as he slammed his weapon into the ground.

Following that, flashes of lightning erupted from the ground and shot upwards, electrocuting everything around them as they travelled away from Bartolommeo in all directions, shaking the earth itself as the frequency of the attacks surpassed that of the replication. Kikyo and Bluebell were both caught up within the large radius of the attack, falling prey to it as they were engulfed by the Storm Flames. When the chain of lightning stopped, Bartolommeo smiled as he watched their defeated forms collapse.

"I had warned you resistance was going to be futile, Byakuran." Callisto said, cutting into Byakuran's path when he was about to intervene in the battle.

"Hmm…that's true," Byakuran replied, "I guess, you are really, really strong."

"Now then, if you surrender, you shall have a painless death."

"Can I ask you a few questions?" Byakuran asked.

"As a dying wish, I shall oblige," Callisto replied.

"Who are you? What are you all here for?"

"We are the emissaries of darkness. We fight on behalf of our Master, whose purpose…is to destroy the Tri-ni-set. Are there any more questions before your death?"

As he heard that, Byakuran paused as he looked at the three invaders and his five fallen comrades. It had happened extremely quickly, and they did not stand a chance against their overwhelming strength.

"Kikyo," Byakuran called out. "Can you do me a favour?"

In response, Kikyo stirred weakly as he replied. "What can I do?"

"Go to Japan and tell Tsunayoshi-kun what happened today," Byakuran said. "I'll cover you."

"But Boss-"

"Go," Byakuran cut him off. "You were a great retainer, Kikyo."

Mustering the last of his strength, Kikyo ignited the flames on his Dying Will Flame Boots as he soared into the distance with an unstable flight path. It looked as if he would collapse any moment. Just as Bartolommeo and Attilio were about to chase, Callisto gestured for them to stop. He simply smiled at Byakuran, who had a calm but powerful fighting spirit. "I respect your decision, Boss of the Millefiore and Owner of the Sky Mare Ring. I shall send you to the other world painlessly."

"Oh, sorry Callisto-kun, but I have no intention of dying!" Byakuran laughed.

"Do you think you can stop my attacks?" Callisto asked. "The defensive strength of your White Applause is nothing compared to my offensive strength."

"I see you know about my favourite defensive move, but I don't think it's that weak,"

"Very well, I shall show you the extent of your weakness."

Dashing forward, Callisto concentrated his flames into his fist as he charged head on towards Byakuran. He made no attempt for an attack from an advantageous position, for he had no need of it. As a dense, almost solidified flame formed around Callisto's fist, his eyes narrowed as he struck Byakuran directly.

"White Applause!" Byakuran declared, meeting Callisto's attack.

A large explosion ensued, forming a spiral of dust as it ascended to the skies. As they clashed, the fallen but conscious Funeral Wreaths and the two companions watched the outcome of the clash. After the dust cleared, both men were both standing. However, after a moment, blood burst out from Byakuran's body, pouring out of cuts in his body sustained through fatal internal damage. It was not long before he collapsed to the ground as his flame energy dissipated from its initial strength to a mere whim, before it disappeared entirely.

"BOSS!" the Millefiore Guardians screamed.

"Hey…" Byakuran cried weakly. "I can't…defeat you now, but I am warning you, if you ever lay a hand on Yuni…I will haunt you…from the other…side…" he said, squeezing out the words as he gave his final breath.

"Elimination of the Mare Rings owners is accomplished. Let us depart." Callisto said, gesturing to Attilio and Bartolommeo.


End file.
